Shutters which in fair weather lie adjacent to a window opening are usually hung so that in inclement weather the shutter can be moved to cover the window opening to shield it from high winds and driving rains. Various arrangements have been and are being used to move the shutter panel into position where it covers and protects the window opening from wind and rain.
Perhaps the most common arrangement is to mount the shutter panel on hinges beside the window opening or alternatively to split the shutter into two similar halves mounted on hinges on opposite sides of the window opening. Then upon a forecast of high winds and/or rain, the shutter panel or pair of shutter panels can be swung 180.degree. and locked into position to shield the window and its opening from the impending storm.
Another popular arrangement is the Bahama shutter which is hung from one or more hinges located directly above the window opening. In fair weather, the shutter panel is maintained at an angle of about 45.degree. below horizontal to serve as a sun shade over the window opening by a pair of rods whose opposite ends are located in slots on the building wall and in the opposite edges of the shutter panel. On the approach of high winds or driving rain, the rods are removed and the shutter panel will swing down to completely cover the window opening where it is locked into position.
Shutter panels are made from a wide variety of materials including natural and processed wooden sheets and panels, rolled aluminum and steel sheets, aluminum and plastic extruded channels and other shapes, and flat and molded panels made of various plastic materials.